Page 141 of Wicked Prince of Frost

If we are caught, I will be punished with extra lessons, lectures on behavior, and exercise. But for my brother, this is nothing more than a fun trick to play on them.

I brace my hands on the wall and peer through the small opening.

A dozen crystal candelabras were brought in to provide adequate lighting for the late meal. Ornamentation, typically reserved for celebrations and monumental occasions, decorates the room. Rare plants have been cut and fashioned into elaborate garlands, ancestral tapestries hung, and rare vases and paintings are displayed throughout the room.

He must be someone very important, I think.

The three of them sit together at one end of the long table set up in the center of the throne room—Father at the head with Mother to his right, and Uncle on his left with his back to us. They talk and laugh as they share a drink over food no one bothers to touch.

They are too far for me to make out what they are saying.

Eojin tugs on the hem of my jacket to get my attention.

“I want to see, Brother,” he mouths.

“In a moment,” I reply silently, then turn back to look through the hole again.

A shape moves beside Uncle’s feet. I squint, trying to see better. They inch out from the shadows beneath the tableuntil their head pokes its way into the light. The long body slowly glides up, behind the back of the chair, out of everyone else’s view.

This must be Uncle’s bonded demon.

They share the same young dragon form as Imugi, and Eojin’s and Father’s demons, Mandu and Kyo… except it’s wrong.

All demons within our family line have been a shade of blue, from nearly white to nearly black. This demon is different. They are shades of burnt red with dark, ashy splotches all over their body. And the scales that should be smooth and shining are dull and spiky.

Mother gasps, jumping to her feet. Her chair clatters to the floor with a sharp clatter. Father rises with a shout. Father rushes to Mother’s side, taking her hand.

Uncle calmly sets his cup down and dabs his mouth with a napkin before rising. Each movement that the stranger makes is slow and intentional. The odd demon rises up behind him, hovering in clear view, undulating in midair over his shoulder.

Our parents back away, horror written on their faces.

When Uncle shifts, giving me a partial view of his face, I understand why—black veins streak down his face and neck, disappearing below his collar.

Demon cursed.

My heart pounds deafeningly in my ears. I do not think I could hear what Uncle is saying even if I were right beside him.

He jerks forward, bracing against the table and clutching his chest with his other hand. His back curves and strains against his clothes. The hand on the table elongates and transforms, growing larger. Fingers turn to claws with razor-sharp talons. The muscles in his arm ripple and expand,ripping through his sleeves, changing into something else entirely.

He releases a blood-curdling yell that becomes a roar as the dragon within him bursts into being. His spiked scales shimmer like the coal and embers of a smoldering forest fire.

“Joooon,” Eojin whisper-whines my name. “What is?—”

I clap a hand over his mouth to silence him, vehemently shaking my head, then quickly peering into the throne room again.

Uncle’s demon is looking in our direction, eyes darting for the source of the sound. Their head tilts at different angles, attempting to perceive us.

Demon shit.

I don’t fully understand what is happening, but I know we need to get out of here and find help.

Eojin tries to push my hand away. My fingers press into his soft cheeks as I take his other arm and drag him from the secret room. He stops struggling against me almost immediately, as I am never intentionally rough with him.

In the hall, I pause long enough to whisper, “Stay silent, no matter what happens.”

Tears fill his eyes, but he nods obediently. Guilt spikes through me at the fear crumpling Eojin’s young face. But there is no time to comfort and coddle him. I take his hand and drag him out into the night. We race over the open grounds and slip into the Central Court.

None of the three bonded demons are anywhere to be found.